Stratzrus
Roadie
- Messages
- 799
My Rivera Suprema Jazz Recording 55 watt 1x12 combo arrived this weekend and it's absolutely killer!
I've been a big fan of Rivera Amps since buying a Knucklehead Reverb 100 years ago. The clean channel is wonderful and I always thought that the clean channel would make a great amp all by itself.
I've been wanting a 1x12 tube combo for my Jazz gigs for a while but it needed to have plenty of clean headroom. My blackface Fenders (Super Reverb, Vibrolux Reverb, and Deluxe Reverb) all sound great but with the volume past 5 they all go into overdrive tones and the Super Reverb's bass gets loose and a little muddy.
When I read the description of the Suprema Jazz it sounded just like what I wanted; an amp designed specifically for hollowbody guitars that had plenty of clean headroom.
It also has some great tone shaping controls including pull knobs for Bright/Treble, Notch/Middle, and Fat/Focus. According to Rivera:
"The Pull-Notch on the Middle control can cut out feedback on your Archtop. The Pull “Fat” gives a big bottom boost. The Treble “Bright” adds a nice shimmer to the top end for those complex chords to cut through the mix. The Focus control allows you to tighten or loosen your speaker. This Focus is great if you’re in a situation where a room might be to boomy and you need to tighten up the bass."
Those added controls really provide a wide variety of tone shaping options not found on my vintage Fender combos. In addition it has an effects loop, ideal for using with my Fractal FM9, and both direct out and speaker emulated out using the Mini Rockrec speaker emulation with six different speaker emulations to choose from. It also has a half power switch and Headphone Out.
These features make it a much better amp for gigging than my Fender combos but they wouldn't mean anything if the tone wasn't there. Thankfully it is there in spades. I was immediately able to get a full and rich Wes Montgomery tone with my ES-335 that was enhanced by a detailed but smooth high end.
The Suprema Jazz Recording comes in a 25 watt version with a 10" or 12" speaker. The 55 watt version has a 15" speaker but I wanted a 55 watt combo with a 12" speaker that would be better suited for gain tones if I wanted to also use it as a clean platform for pedals. It turned out that a 55 watt 1x12 combo is not part of their regular production run but Paul said I could special order one. I placed my order and had it in my hands within weeks. I was informed that Paul actually worked on the amp himself during the final stages of completion.
This amp is everything I could have wanted in a compact sized tube combo for Jazz gigs and I couldn't be happier with how it turned out. I've only had a little time with it so far and haven't had a chance to gig with it yet but after I've had a while to evaluate it I'll write a full review.
But as the Magic 8 Ball says "Outlook good".
I've been a big fan of Rivera Amps since buying a Knucklehead Reverb 100 years ago. The clean channel is wonderful and I always thought that the clean channel would make a great amp all by itself.
I've been wanting a 1x12 tube combo for my Jazz gigs for a while but it needed to have plenty of clean headroom. My blackface Fenders (Super Reverb, Vibrolux Reverb, and Deluxe Reverb) all sound great but with the volume past 5 they all go into overdrive tones and the Super Reverb's bass gets loose and a little muddy.
When I read the description of the Suprema Jazz it sounded just like what I wanted; an amp designed specifically for hollowbody guitars that had plenty of clean headroom.
It also has some great tone shaping controls including pull knobs for Bright/Treble, Notch/Middle, and Fat/Focus. According to Rivera:
"The Pull-Notch on the Middle control can cut out feedback on your Archtop. The Pull “Fat” gives a big bottom boost. The Treble “Bright” adds a nice shimmer to the top end for those complex chords to cut through the mix. The Focus control allows you to tighten or loosen your speaker. This Focus is great if you’re in a situation where a room might be to boomy and you need to tighten up the bass."
Those added controls really provide a wide variety of tone shaping options not found on my vintage Fender combos. In addition it has an effects loop, ideal for using with my Fractal FM9, and both direct out and speaker emulated out using the Mini Rockrec speaker emulation with six different speaker emulations to choose from. It also has a half power switch and Headphone Out.
These features make it a much better amp for gigging than my Fender combos but they wouldn't mean anything if the tone wasn't there. Thankfully it is there in spades. I was immediately able to get a full and rich Wes Montgomery tone with my ES-335 that was enhanced by a detailed but smooth high end.
The Suprema Jazz Recording comes in a 25 watt version with a 10" or 12" speaker. The 55 watt version has a 15" speaker but I wanted a 55 watt combo with a 12" speaker that would be better suited for gain tones if I wanted to also use it as a clean platform for pedals. It turned out that a 55 watt 1x12 combo is not part of their regular production run but Paul said I could special order one. I placed my order and had it in my hands within weeks. I was informed that Paul actually worked on the amp himself during the final stages of completion.
This amp is everything I could have wanted in a compact sized tube combo for Jazz gigs and I couldn't be happier with how it turned out. I've only had a little time with it so far and haven't had a chance to gig with it yet but after I've had a while to evaluate it I'll write a full review.
But as the Magic 8 Ball says "Outlook good".
